Darrin French
February 8, 1965 - October 30, 2023
With heavy hearts, the family of Darrin (Dickie) French share his unexpected, and sudden passing on October 30, 2023 at 58 years of age, at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Predeceased by his parents, Fredrick and May French, his mother and father in-law Edgar and Margaret Pynn and his sisters, Debbie Hickey, Joanne Gamberg, and brother Neil French.
Dickie made a lifetime of memories with his beloved wife Tina (née Pynn), she caught his eye at the tender age of 13 on Bell Island. Together they built a home in Cambridge with their two beautiful daughters, Melissa (Bradley) Leite, and Megan French (Sam Siefried). He was especially proud of his only grandchild, his buddy Joshua Leite.
Raised on Bell Island, Newfoundland, Dickie was the youngest brother of 10 children, the loss of their baby brother leaves an irreplaceable void to his siblings Garry French, Wanda (Steve) Dwyer, Wally French (Bonnie Whalen), Maurice (Bonita) French, Charmaine (Willy) Vanderwelle, Raymond “Rusty” (Sandra) French. Brother in Law to Gerard Gamberg, Keith Hickey, Kelly French, Edgar (Patricia) Pynn, Dougie (Tina) Pynn, Scott (Lori) Pynn, Marilyn Pynn (Wade Reardon), and Darren Pynn. He will be forever remembered by his many nieces and nephews and his God-daughter Robyn Pynn as a humorous, good-hearted and fun-loving uncle.
Dickie was fond of the poem "The Dash," which refers to the dash between a person's date of birth and their date of death on their tombstone. The dash represents the time that the person spent on earth and serves as a symbol for their life. Dickie lived larger than life and made the best out of the short dash he was given. His family came first. He loved them fiercely, and devoted his life to make sure they knew how much they meant to him. He dedicated 35 years to his employer Gerdau, where he forged many lifelong friendships. Dickie was always up for a good time, and spent much of his "dash" playing darts or having a game of cards, with his friends and family. He loved to entertain, he would tell the best jokes, but music resonated deep in his soul. He could sing any genre of music, he loved karaoke and spent many weekends as a dee jay supporting various causes in his community. His boisterous laugh was infectious, as was his kind and gentle demeanor. He was a friend to many and will be remembered affectionately and missed dearly by his extended family, his friends, and especially those in his dart league and at the Cambridge Newfoundland Club.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude for the extensive life saving measures provided by Frank Addesso. Special thank you to the staff at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, Dr. Renner (Cardiologist) Dr. Jahromi (Vascular Specialist) and the paramedics for the care provided.
At Dickie’s request, cremation has taken place. A celebration of life will be held on November 10th, 2023 from 1pm-5pm at the Cambridge a Newfoundland Club 1500 Dunbar Rd. Cambridge, On. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Messages and condolences may be left at www.tricitycremations.com. Please visit Dickie’s obituary notice on Facebook.